


The Miss Adventures of Kaidan Alenko

by DinkyMew



Series: The Miss Adventures of Kaidan Alenko [1]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-23
Updated: 2013-03-23
Packaged: 2017-12-06 05:52:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/732165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DinkyMew/pseuds/DinkyMew
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set post Mass Effect Three - Abigail Shepard and Kaidan Alenko face a new threat in the form of an ancient alien race intent on ruling the now weakened galaxy.</p><p>Thrust into another war the crew are forced to choose between friendship and freedom as the battle for supremacy begins...</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Miss Adventures of Kaidan Alenko

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfiction is also available on ff.net and DeviantART

I lay my head back on the pillow, staring at the glaring white of the strip light above me. It burns behind my pupils and the first echo of a migraine rears its head making colours dance in front of my eyes. They twist and knot like macabre dancers, each fluid movement sending a shard of pain shooting up my arm to explode inside my skull.

I feel the sting of a needle, hiss involuntarily as Dr Chakwas works on my injuries. She says something, but the words are incoherent, jumbled through my hazy vision and the tears that blur my eyes.

She’ll be ok, I whisper to myself, she’ll come back this time.

I cough, pain wracking through my chest as I taste coppery blood in my mouth; my blood. Beside me Dr Chakwas whirls into motion, her omni-tool glowing as the lights above flicker and the ship rocks beneath us. Somewhere far off I hear an explosion; the intercom speaker on the far wall crackles with the impact and Joker curses loudly. I close my eyes, and have the sensation suddenly that I am falling. I grip the sheets under me in my fists if only to keep myself grounded.

Abigail looms into my vision, waves of her long dark hair falling around me as she presses her lips to mine. I’m in another time I realise – a moment I have already lived but under the circumstances I don’t mind. She tilts her head back, her hair slipping from her shoulders as she leans backwards. The blue glow from the wall tank illuminates her body and I’m left speechless once again, pressing my hand to her abdomen, feeing the muscle there undulate smoothly against me.

“Kaidan…” She purrs.

I open my eyes and she is sitting on the edge of her bed, her head in her hands and I feel a stab of guilt for having fallen asleep. I rub my eyes, trying to chase the tiredness from me, but I still feel drowsy from our lovemaking.

“Hey,” I say, touching her hip gently. She flinches, turning to glance at me through the tousles of her dark hair. “What’s up?” I ask, genuine concern giving me pause. She half turns, tucking a leg on to the bed as she looks at me. Her blue eyes are large and heavy with thoughts as she draws her teeth over her bottom lip.

“Are we going to make it Kaidan?”

That white light shines through my eyelids, and pain stabs with such force I am sure it has cleaved my skull in two. I groan, raising a hand to my head, curling involuntarily into a foetal position as – like a living thing – the migraine begins to seep throughout my body making every bone hurt with unbearable intensity.

I try to sit up, but strong arms force me back down, hold me there while something is forced into my mouth – it is liquid and it is rancid, but I choke it down feeling it burn a path down my throat as it goes.

“Are we going to make it Kaidan?”

Please, I beg, and I am answered by a cool hand on my forehead. A far away voice is talking but I cannot make it out. I’m freefalling, wind whistling between my fingers as I brace for impact. I can hear my heart – the beat is sluggish, my chest tightening with each shallow breath I take.

“No, adrenaline.” I hear a female voice say, and I open my eyes with great effort. There is a silhouette over me; a black cut-out against that horrible strip light. I frown, reaching a hand to her.

“Abby?” I ask, uncertain and a hand takes mine, pushing it back by my side.

“No, Kaidan.” The voice says, and it is warm and motherly. Maybe it’s my mom – maybe she made it off Earth after all

“Try and stay still, we’re giving you a shot of adrenaline.” She says and I smile, nodding, closing my eyes once more.

“Dammit, don’t argue with me Kaidan!” Abigail turns, her face flushed and marred with dirt and grime as she whirls on me, her hair coming to rest framing her beautiful face.

I brace myself against James, a wheezing breath escaping me as I shake my head, too stubborn to let her go. “Don’t leave me behind.” I beg the familiarity of this moment all too real. I have lost her before; I cannot go through that again.

She smiles, but there is pain in her eyes as she comes to me, touching my face with her hand. “No matter what happens,” She says, tears spilling over her lashes “Know that I love you always.” She presses her lips against mine; bittersweet and I feel panic flutter into my chest.

This is a goodbye kiss.

“I love you.” I say, and she smiles, her eyes shining as she steps backwards down the ramp. Behind her there is an inhuman roar, so loud I grit my teeth until my jaw aches, and above a Reaper is birthed from the roiling black clouds in the sky.

I reach for her, if only to keep her with me – we could get on the Normandy together, be miles away from this and live out what time we had left – but she is already moving, waving a hand at me as she screams for us to go, running back into the thick of the fighting.

“What about Shepard?”

I frown, this voice is male, familiar. And near.

I force my eyes open, the migraine is gone but I still squint against the light as I pull myself to sit up. I’m still in my armour, spattered with blood and dirt as I take in the medical bay. Cortez is by the Comm speaker, his expression grave as he glances to me.

“We’re leaving.” I hear Joker say, and my heart stops in my chest.

“Where’s Abigail?” I ask, my voice is raspy and thin, but Cortez hears me alright and he shakes his head.

“We’re leaving now.” Joker’s voice confirms and I push myself out of bed.

Yeah, like that is gonna happen.

 

I have never flown a shuttle before. Well correction, I have never flown a shuttle in the middle of a war zone before – there was one time back in Alliance training when Joker and I had one too many and we thought it would be a swell idea to steal the CO’s shuttle; but that did not end well. I’m hoping this time, sober, it might.

“Kaidan, you had better turn that shuttle around and get back here right now.” Joker’s voice sounds into the cockpit and I hesitate, punching the speed as I head straight for the Citadel.

I’m not leaving her behind, not this time. No matter what happens I can’t live with that regret twice in a lifetime.

“I don’t have a choice Joker.” I say, banking left just in time to miss a collision with debris.

The Reapers are winning; the blackness of space is bright with gunfire, glittering pieces of floating debris spinning in the light of the sun, and Earth – standing solitary, her surface glinting with explosions.

“Kaidan, you can’t fly a shuttle.” Joker complains and I smile, laughing breathlessly as I accelerate once more, the curve of the Citadel arm filling my view.

“I could give you a run for your money flyboy.” I smile, I can see where the Crucible weapon is docked, below there appears to be a room protected with a barrier of some kind; like the ones erected when there is hull breach and I aim directly for it. With any luck I should pass through and not crash headlong into it.

“Kai…” His voice is hesitant, worried and I close my eyes.

“I have to Joker.” I say “I can’t lose her again.” With that I tip the stick forward, plunging toward that force field on the Citadel. The whole shuttle begins to shake and rock as I grow closer, but I hold the line steadily. I can see light; artificial and hope springs inside me.

The shuttle passes through the barrier, and I draw the stick back to land, but it jams – stuck fast and I have no time to pull up. The floor rushes to meet me and I close my eyes, bracing for impact.

 

I awake in blackness, and at first I think I cannot breathe. Choking I wrench forward, spitting blood over the console of the shuttle. It sparks and flickers, but is ruined.

Unsteadily I pull myself to my feet, moving to the door of the shuttle and pressing against it. It is jammed shut and I groan, wiping my mouth with my hand. I can smell blood and know that I need light to assess my wounds.

Taking a step back I raise a leg, bringing it against the door with force. Once; twice and on the third kick it gives way and I fall, gracelessly onto a stone floor below me.

Pressing my back against the cool stone I breathe, filling my lungs with air as I frown up at the wrecked shuttle. It has crashed at an angle into what appears to be some kind of pillar, suspending it just above the ground upside down.

I wince, pushing myself to sit as I survey the area.  
The room is round, like one of those glass domes you trade at Christmas time. I have the sensation that if they were to tip me upside down and back again it would start to snow.

There is a body, I can see a hand just behind the wreckage of my shuttle and carefully I get to my feet, staggering a little as I lean against the body of the vehicle, slipping around it to keep my balance.

The Illusive man is dead; lying spread-eagled on the stone floor in a pool of darkened blood; a gun by his hand.

Beyond that Admiral Anderson is slumped to the side, his knees drawn to him. I move toward him, pain shooting up from my ankle as I let go unsteadily of the shuttle. I’m halfway there when I see the pool of congealed blood he is sitting in; the fact that his wounds are no longer bleeding, and with a sinking certainty I realise he’s already dead.

My eyes prick with tears and I bite them back, a dark shadow catching my attention.

It’s Abigail.

She’s lying face down, inches from a console, her hand stretched out in front of her.

“Abby!” I cry, but she doesn’t move, doesn’t even seem to hear me.

I move to her, gritting my teeth against the pain as I drop beside her, sweeping her hair back from her face. Her armour is ruined, and she is injured badly – blood has pooled beneath her, one half of her face red and slick with it as I pull her into my arms and rock her there.

I feel hot tears course as I press my forehead to hers, begging her silently to open her eyes. A pain the likes I have never felt comes over me and I can feel the tingle of my biotics as slowly I lose control of my emotions. I curl into her, pressing my lips to her temple.

“You promised me.” I whisper, my voice cracking in the silence.

Beyond there is a rumble, an explosion, and I glance upward for a source. The whole foundation begins to rock and I swallow, glancing with longing back to the shuttle – but there is no way that thing is moving.

I look back on Abigail, lying still and lifeless in my arms and she is smiling faintly.

I press my lips to hers, willing life back into her. Her mouth is incredibly cold, and her lips shift underneath mine, startling me.

“We did it.” She whispers against my mouth.

And then everything explodes.


End file.
